Be Happy You’re Alive!

Preparing to present a dedication in a craft group after a demonstration by a funeral director, I decided to run with the stream, and get people engaged in the imminence of the death.

I asked.

Nothing arouses thought for the transient nature of life more, for me personally, then the panpipes instrumental, The Lonely Shepherd. Whenever I hear this music I immediately think of my passing. And this type of thought is a boon.

It’s not a morbid thought. It’s the notion grounded in the truth that God could eliminate my breath and stop my heart inside a second. These are these humbling realities. It places all our anxieties and complexities and conflicts into context.

The question which arises for me from the notion of my death is,’Am I cherishing the fact that I am alive?’ Am I holding life gently? Am I buried in my job? What am I putting off that I should not be? Who is it that is really going to miss me when I am gone? And am I making time for all these people today? Have I made all attempts to reconcile with those I’ve aggrieved? Am I aware of should be? What should I do before I die?

Have I got any regrets about life? Can I do anything about them? Have I really accepted the consequences of my actions? Is there joy in my life? What can I do to link to peace, hope and joy?

This is the most pulsating truth of life: you and I’m alive, for such a time as this, and soon it’ll be over. As most of us know, with parents and grandparents having passed away, or people getting ready for this occasion, life seems long, but from some perspectives of irony it’s extremely short indeed.

It is not a morbid idea to plan for one’s funeral; this type of notion reminds us how precious life is, and it causes us to cherish the fact that we’re alive.